Open-top rail cars, such as gondola cars, hoppers and grain cars are employed to transport waste, coal, grain and similar materials that may tend to blow out of the car. A cover is commonly mounted on the open top to contain the car's contents. These open-top covers are constructed to permit various lifting devices to either remove or mount the cover on a stationary car. Such open-top covers are also equipped with a latch mechanism such as the one shown in FIG. 1. Once mounted, the latch mechanism is engaged by lowering the clamp and securing it underneath the top edge of the railway car as shown in FIG. 2. Although such latch mechanisms secure the open-top cover in place, the latches are not flexible and do not permit the cover to move while the rail car is in transit. The cover meanwhile experiences stress and strain at the point of contact between the latch and the rail car during transit. More often than not, the cover breaks in response to such stress and strain as shown in FIG. 3.
Consequently, there exists a need for an open-top rail cover designed to accommodate stress and strain experienced during transit.